Discover your Ancestral Clan with a DNA Test
A strand of DNA known as mtDNA has proved crucial in DNA testing carried out by Oxford University in proving that everyone with ties to Europe are, in fact, directly descended from one of seven women living thousands of years ago and that we each belong to a distinctive clan. Looking at our own DNA allows us to establish with which of these women our lineage began.
Weird Science
It certainly seems strange that every European woman can be traced back to one of seven women but advancements in DNA testing have allowed these sorts of revelations to come to light. The whole principle is based fundamentally upon a complex piece of human biology known as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) which is passed down from mother to daughter. It is this mtDNA that scientists at Oxford University are able to study to establish which of the seven women you are related to.
Establishing Ties using DNA
Speaking to the Liverpool Daily Post, Bryan Sykes, who is an expert in DNA testing sheds light on the seven women or ‘clan-mothers’ that have provided the basis of life in Europe, “It emphasises the extremely amazing thing that, in every cell of your body, you’ve got that little piece of DNA that has come from a woman living in the depths of the last Ice Age and that it survived in the bodies of your ancestors right through to the present day”. The research carried out at Oxford University showed that these women lived between 10,000 and 45,000 years ago and were spread across the land mass of Europe. This type of test has been able to show that these 7 women gave birth to at least one daughter who then also gave birth to at least one daughter and so on until the present day. There were obviously other women around at this time but they either didn’t have children or only gave birth to sons, thus destroying the maternal line. DNA testing is constantly evolving and it continues to give us a clearer picture as to who exactly it is that we are.
More articles about ancestry and DNA
A recent study in the European Journal of Human Genetics revealed how DNA testing can overturn notions of cultural identity previously taken for granted. There are some names in the British culture like Smith, Jones or Ramsbottom that seem distinctly ‘British’ – but are they? Do you carry one of these surnames? Click here to read more.
Speak To International Bioscience
International Biosciences offer a broad range of DNA paternity testing and DNA relationship testing services designed to provide indisputable answers to emotional questions. Whether you seek to establish paternity, prove siblingship or research genealogy, for legal definition or peace of mind, we are able to provide DNA testing at competitive rates, professionally and confidentially. Using state of the art technology we are able to provide conclusive evidence on time, every time. Contact International Biosciences or click here to email us.
